Acas releases guide on social networking at work

A new guide to the employment aspects of blogs, Twitter and Facebook has been launched after complaints that workers were abusing social media.

The guide has been created by Acas, an organisation devoted to preventing and resolving employment disputes. Taking nine months to complete, the company describe the report as a response to "the growing problem" posed by social networking sites.

Six out of 10 (55%) staff members now visit social networking sites during working hours via their computer or smartphone each day, with some taking the opportunity to post derogatory remarks about employers and co-workers.

Acas advises employers not to be "heavy-handed" in penalising offending staff members, and to be aware of the context of any behaviour.

John Taylor, chief executive of Acas, said: “If an employer is too tough, they need to consider the potential impact of any negative publicity. Heavy-handed monitoring can cause bad feeling and be time consuming.

"A manager wouldn't follow an employee down the pub to check on what he or she said to friends about their day at work. Just because they can do something like this online, doesn't mean they should."

Taylor advised employers should consult with staff over the use of the internet at work and set clear ground rules, making clear the potential consequences of breaching company policy.

"Online conduct should not differ from off-line conduct. Employees should assume that everything they say on the internet could be made public, and should think whether they want their colleagues or boss to read it. They might not mean it, but what they post could end up being seen by billions of people worldwide."

A recent survey by myjobgroup found that only 14 per cent of those polled considered themselves less productive as a result of social media, with 10 per cent claimed that using Facebook and Twitter at work boosted their productivity.

If you're taking a quick break from work to boost your productivity then why not follow BD Recruitment on Facebook and Twitter.